“…I still have to have barriers even if it’s like 200 people because people try to finger me.”

Australian rapper Iggy Azalea released her new album yesterday, and during her morning press blitz she stopped by Hot97 studios in New York City for a quick promotional chat. It was the kind of typical radio PR stunt setup you would expect from an artist with major label backing, but things quickly became unique when Iggy dropped a bomb regarding the way certain fans treat her at shows.

“I had to stop [crowdsurfing]…” Azalea said. “I’m only doing like 2000-seaters, but I still have to have barriers even if it’s like 200 people because people try to finger me.” She later added that she has begun wearing tights and two pairs of underwear on stage for protection, which seems to be doing the trick – for now.

As revealing as all of this is, the most interesting tidbit might be that Azalea believes female fans are more often the culprits behind the sexual assault. “Girls will try to do it more than guys ’cause girls think it’s cool, like, ’We both got vaginas, it’s fine.’ Doesn’t make it OK.”

I could not have said it better myself.

Here’s some more of Iggy’s thoughts from the interview:

I will get lurk tweets for like a week before my show, like “I’m about to go to the Iggy Azalea show and I’m going to finger her,” and I’ll see it and be like, please don’t! That’s a violation. I don’t actually like that stuff.

Like, they think I’m real slutty, like “Oh, she got a song called ’Pussy,’ I know what she wants. She wants these two fingers.” Why would I want a stranger to ever finger me? Buying my album for $12 doesn’t mean you get to finger me when I come to your city.

It’s not hard to understand how this image of Azalea has spread throughout pop culture. Interviewers around the world have created entire features on her without ever mentioning her thoughts on songwriting or the industry in general. They see someone willing to expose their sex life to the world and pounce, forgetting those individuals are people as well. Even though they’re journalists they still feed the illusion she is here to be your fantasy instead of an artist.

The New Classic, Iggy’s latest creation, is available now. I know I spent this entire article discussing her image, but the bigger story should be (and is) her talent.

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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